Positive Thinking can shove a corn cob in its pooper.
I just watched "What the Bleep Do We Know" this week. For the uninitiated, the movie is this odd mix of PBS peudo-documentary, Lifetime women empowerment seminar, 3-2-1 Contact spin-off, Franklin Institute lecture series, and Channelers Anonymous meeting that's sweeping the nation. The basic premise is that quantum physics says we can basically control our own reality and make things happen to not only our bodies, but our surroundings, and our timeline with positive thoughts. They brought in the usual gang of idiots; Ph.D's, doctors, physicists, religious experts, and last but not least, a channeler who spoke as Ramtha, a 35,000 year old wise man who discussed erections and made me uncomfortable.
What really got to me was the ultimate question the movie raised...is it really that simple? Is the answer to the whole of human suffering to think happy thoughts? Was Walt Disney some kind of secret shaman genius who took the power to end world blight to his grave? Is muzak really the sound of God humming?
Long answer, yes with a but...short answer, no with an if.
I will be the first one to stand in line for any kind of snake oil you're selling, but even I find it hard to believe in the all-encompassing power of positive thought. If it was so simple, do you really think we would have suffered for so long with disease, poverty, hunger, bigotry, and war without stopping to say "Hey, let's all lay down and cuddle for a minute, huh?" I know some forward thinkers have tried that route (John Lennon, for example), but not enough people were on the hippie band wagon to make a difference. My happy-thoughts cap got lost the last time I moved, I think.
In my own life, I know thinking positively in the face of distress is not only annoying, but at times impossible. Can you imagine me whispering "Happy thoughts, positive place" while some drunk asshole is yelling at me for spilling his drink? I'd rather take solice in my bloodied knuckles than the warm fuzzy in my third chackra. But then again, I have always been quick to throw down instead of listening to the Truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (so help me God).
Nice equals weak, especially in America. You need to be tougher, stronger, faster, and angrier than your competition or your out of the race. It's easier for all of us to be angry. How else do you explain why Fear Factor, The Amazing Race, and Survivor are so popular? These shows hinge on that exact truth; it's easier for us to be angry and competitive than to be happy and helpful. Modern culture doesn't help the matter much, either. Stress is the fire in which we all burn. Get ahead any way possible. Sit and meditate on a good future? I'd rather eat maggots and jump out of a 20 story building for $50,000.
Well, I'm making it a point to try a little positive thinking next week. I've already started posting little notes to myself around my house. I don't think I'll be ending world hunger anytime soon, but my runny nose did kinda clear up.
I just watched "What the Bleep Do We Know" this week. For the uninitiated, the movie is this odd mix of PBS peudo-documentary, Lifetime women empowerment seminar, 3-2-1 Contact spin-off, Franklin Institute lecture series, and Channelers Anonymous meeting that's sweeping the nation. The basic premise is that quantum physics says we can basically control our own reality and make things happen to not only our bodies, but our surroundings, and our timeline with positive thoughts. They brought in the usual gang of idiots; Ph.D's, doctors, physicists, religious experts, and last but not least, a channeler who spoke as Ramtha, a 35,000 year old wise man who discussed erections and made me uncomfortable.
What really got to me was the ultimate question the movie raised...is it really that simple? Is the answer to the whole of human suffering to think happy thoughts? Was Walt Disney some kind of secret shaman genius who took the power to end world blight to his grave? Is muzak really the sound of God humming?
Long answer, yes with a but...short answer, no with an if.
I will be the first one to stand in line for any kind of snake oil you're selling, but even I find it hard to believe in the all-encompassing power of positive thought. If it was so simple, do you really think we would have suffered for so long with disease, poverty, hunger, bigotry, and war without stopping to say "Hey, let's all lay down and cuddle for a minute, huh?" I know some forward thinkers have tried that route (John Lennon, for example), but not enough people were on the hippie band wagon to make a difference. My happy-thoughts cap got lost the last time I moved, I think.
In my own life, I know thinking positively in the face of distress is not only annoying, but at times impossible. Can you imagine me whispering "Happy thoughts, positive place" while some drunk asshole is yelling at me for spilling his drink? I'd rather take solice in my bloodied knuckles than the warm fuzzy in my third chackra. But then again, I have always been quick to throw down instead of listening to the Truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (so help me God).
Nice equals weak, especially in America. You need to be tougher, stronger, faster, and angrier than your competition or your out of the race. It's easier for all of us to be angry. How else do you explain why Fear Factor, The Amazing Race, and Survivor are so popular? These shows hinge on that exact truth; it's easier for us to be angry and competitive than to be happy and helpful. Modern culture doesn't help the matter much, either. Stress is the fire in which we all burn. Get ahead any way possible. Sit and meditate on a good future? I'd rather eat maggots and jump out of a 20 story building for $50,000.
Well, I'm making it a point to try a little positive thinking next week. I've already started posting little notes to myself around my house. I don't think I'll be ending world hunger anytime soon, but my runny nose did kinda clear up.
